Chemical Burns
by wingsrookie
Summary: A Fem!Sky!Harry and Reverse-Harem story. When the girl wakes inside a vat of viscous liquid, she knows she needs help. So she sends out a call, desperately seeking those who can help her. Thinking she's using her magic, our girl knows nothing about flames or guardians. So imagine her (and their) surprise when she wakes up to a world of flames, guardians, Arcobaleno, & family.
1. Chapter 1

So I apologize to all Black Fire fans, my muse took that story's plot bunny hostage and refused to release it until I wrote this down. I plan to continue both stories. Also, this story is probably going to be the reverse-harem story I promised to all those who requested it on my last story. Also, this is a story about Fem!Sky!Harry, and her guardians. If you don't like any of these things, then don't read.

Hope you Enjoy this new story. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from KHR or Harry Potter.

* * *

" There's a fire starting in my heart, Reaching a fever pitch, and it's bringing me out the dark, Finally, I can see you crystal clear, Go ahead and sell me out, and I'll lay your ship bare. See how I'll leave with every piece of you, Don't underestimate the things that I will do. There's a fire starting in my heart, Reaching a fever pitch, and it's bringing me out the dark.

... Throw your soul through every open door. Count your blessings to find what you look for. Turn my sorrow into treasure gold. You'll pay me back in kind and reap just what you sow." - _Rolling in the Deep_ Adele

* * *

Keys clicked rapidly and a bunch of scientists hovered around a large floor-to-ceiling tube filled with viscous green liquid. Inside the liquid floated a young girl attached to various wires and tubes, along with a face mask fitted over her mouth and nose. Different colored liquids flowed through the tubes, some in various shades of blue and levels of viscosity. Other liquids were purple, red, or even pink. Some of the liquids glowed, others seemed to reflect the light. Her eyes were closed, and the liquid in the tank made hair and skin look varying shades of green. For a moment the girls eyelids cracked open, and vibrant, glowing green irises peeked out between the openings. One of the scientists, a distinguished looking man with steel grey and black streaked hair gave a sharp command to the man at the computer. The man typed out a quick sequence and hit the enter key. A purple liquid oozed up out of a tank set in the wall behind the tube and then down a long clear tube and into the girls neck. Her eyes flashed a single time, the green glow increasing in power and then slid shut once again as the purple oozing goo put her back to sleep.

"That was a close one." The scientist on the right commented with a frown.

"How does she keep burning through the anesthesia?!" Demanded the scientist on the left, tugging at his hair. "We've tested her blood, her DNA, even tried psychic testing. Nothing! We've pumped five times the lethal dose into her! Not only is she still alive, but she's burning through it like a forest fire through gasoline soaked toothpicks!" The man continued.

"Enough. We will continue testing her until we figure out why she is running through the anesthesia so quickly. Obviously we will have to come up with new tests. Caspari, set up a program to allow you to access everything from your tablet. We have a meeting with the Director." The older man with the gray and black hair ordered from his place in the middle.

"Yes, Sir." the scientist at the keyboard replied, tapping in a new sequence and then unplugging his tablet from the USB cord. The four men left the room, none of them looking back. Consequently, not one of them saw the green eyes open again once more. Their glow did not intensify this time, as the girl saw no one in the room. Instead she took a few moments to try and get her hazy brain to work.

 _"No one here..."_ She thought. _"But they know when I...use power...only one chance..."_ She thought hazily. _"Won't make it on my own...too sleepy. Need help..."_ She concluded, and on that thought her eyes suddenly blazed so brightly it lit the entire room. _**"Help! Please help me!"**_ She thought desperately, and six blazing beams of orange fire leapt from her heart and shot away through the walls. Suddenly exhausted, the girls eyes slipped shut as more ooze fed into her neck from the tube.

* * *

Elsewhere around the world, almost simultaneously, five individuals were suddenly engulfed by orange flames from below. In Italy a tall slim man in a suit and fedora burst into flames in front of his former student and his allies. In China a man in red paused just after twisting a neck past the breaking point. On a motor-powered island in the middle of the sea a man with a hawk burst into orange flames in front of his fiancee. In America an audience cheered as a purple-suited man on a motorcycle burst into orange flames in the middle of his jump. Only for the flames to extinguish before the man hit the ground, leaving no damage behind. A person in a hooded cloak sat at a desk in a building in Italy, sipping strawberry milk as they pursued papers before suddenly bursting into orange flames. Their boss, who had sat at his own desk with his feet up, jumped to his feet and raised his gun. The hooded person leaned slightly to the side as a bullet whipped past their head. "We will be taking some personal time, Boss." They informed their Boss before turning and leaving the building. Their Boss, followed by the rest of his circle, followed on the cloaked persons' heals as they ran towards the main mansion.

The last streak of orange flame leapt up from the earth it had been trapped in and went streaking away from the planet into the sky, and seemed to become less and less tangible as it went until there was nothing left.

* * *

Tsunayoshi Sawada, the Tenth Boss of Vongola, was giving the specifics of a hit he wanted his former mentor to take care of when his former tutor burst into flames. He immediately leaped to his feet, spreading his flames out as far as he could to see what Sky had dared to try to attack the Worlds Greatest Hitman, one of the strongest seven, on Vongola territory. His senses came back empty of unknowns, though he did sense many Vongola people tense and rush to their "battle stations" at Tsunayoshi's angry searching flames. Those of the Tenth's guardians who were nearby burst into the office almost at the same time. His Cloud guardian, Kyoya Hibari, leapt up and in through the second story window. Takeshi Yamamoto, Tsuna's rain guardian, rain through the doorway just behind Squalo Superbi, who was following both Xanxus and Mammon. Xanxus other guardians were right behind. Out of a vent in the ceiling dropped the fifteen year old Lambo, Tsunayoshi's Lightning Guardian. All of this happened in a matter of minutes. The fire around Reborn began to slowly wane as he met Tsunayoshi's eyes.

"I'm going to have to turn that hit down, this time. It seems something personal has come up." Reborn informed the Vongola Tenth, hat tilting down to cover his eyes.

"You, too?" Mammon asked Reborn as the flames surrounding both of them finally winked out of the visible range.

"Yes." Reborn agreed.

"That means the others probably are as well." Mammon mused thoughtfully. Then their own indigo Mist flames flared up and floated out of sight. Only a second later five indigo ovals of fire deposited Colonello, Skull, Fon, Lal Mirch, and Verde before Reborn and Mammon.

"Which of you two got the flames?" Reborn demanded of Colonello and Lal Mirch. The question stopped the other Ex-Arcobaleno complaining about being transported instantaneously without warning.

"I did, Kora." Colonello growled. "I guess that means all of us except Lal?" Fon inquired calmly.

"So it would seem." Reborn replied. "Anyone know who it is?" he added grumpily. The other Ex-Arcobaleno shook their heads or otherwise answered in the negative.

"I have not experienced these flames you speak of." Verde interrupted, irritated he did not know what the others were talking about. The slight narrowing of his eyes was the only sign of Reborn's surprise. Neither man was able to say anything, however, as the Vongola Tenth spoke up.

"Reborn, who are you talking about? Vongola can help, if you have a problem." Tsunayoshi sighed, wishing once more that his old friend didn't tend to forget he could ask for help. Reborn considered his previous student for several moments, then looked to his comrades. After the other Ex-Arcobaleno all silently signaled their permission, Reborn turned back to Tsunayoshi.

"This may involve another Famiglia, and we have no way of knowing if they are a friend or foe of Vongola." Reborn warned, but Tsunayoshi waved the words off. With a sigh, Reborn finally relented. "It would seem, Tsunayoshi, that most of the Ex-Arcobaleno now have a bonded Sky. And we have no idea who they are. We all burst into orange flames as the bond was made. I don't know about the others, but I heard a call for help from our Sky, also." Hat tilted down over his eyes once more as Reborn brooded over his new and missing Sky.

"I have a plane parked in the hanger out back. I can have the plane ready in ten minutes. I also have a full three captain squad or one of you can pilot it, if you prefer." Tsunayoshi Sawada of Vongola replied after a few minutes of wide-eyed incredulousness. It seemed even with all the craziness of Vongola, some things could still take him by surprise. Reborn resisted the urge to shoot the man, as Tsunayoshi was being helpful, but it was a close thing.

"I will pilot." Reborn stated flatly. Tsunayoshi nodded.

"Alright. Everyone, gear up and assemble teams one and ten." Tsunayoshi ordered as he turned to his own guardians. His three present guardians immediately departed, and Tsunayoshi turned to Xanxus. "I assume you want to come to help out Mammon? I must admit, I was a bit confused. I thought Mammon was bonded to you...?" He wondered. Xanxus nodded tersely to the first bit.

"It was a contractual position only. Mammon was to take the place of my guardian until I found someone I could bond with, or they found a Sky of their own." Xanxus conceded, now that it was necessary to explain. Tsunayoshi nodded, but silently wondered if others did this or if any of Xanxus' other guardians were 'contract only'.

"Shark-trash, have at least three squads on that plane in ten minutes. I all the lightnings, infiltration specialists, tech specialists, Mists, and Suns we can send without leaving less than a skeleton crew." Xanxus barked at his rain guardian. Then he turned to his Sun. "Lussuria. Get all the medial equipment and supplies packed into that plane as you can assemble and fit in the next ten minutes, trash." Xanxus snarled. Lussuria smiled so brightly it looked like twinkles appeared around him.

"Yes, Boss!" Lussuria chirruped before spinning in place and then practically transporting to the Varia medical ward. As Xanxus was giving order to his people, Tsunayoshi was suiting up in one of his specialized battle suits, and tossing one at Xanxus. They were a recent invention by Vongola R&D, and if he didn't field test the suit when the opportunity arose, he'd never hear the end of it.

A mere ten minutes later all of the people who could fit on the jet with the Ex-Arcobaleno and the extra supplies Xanxus demanded, took off into the sky. Reborn, at the controls and wearing his pilots uniform, circled around so the nose of the plane pointed North-West. The other Arcobaleno settled in at different points of the plane, two on the right and left and one in back. They each had a headset on which they used to talk to Reborn.

"Why are you spread out in like that? Don't you want to be up front with Reborn?" Lambo asked Skull curiously. Skull, being the person at the tail end of the plane, smiled cheerfully at the fifteen year old, but Lambo noticed the smile didn't reach the man's eyes.

"We are spread out so each of us can tell Reborn if we feel a change in direction. We have no idea where our Sky is, but we all feel a pull towards their location. So if one of us suddenly senses the pull is greater towards the right, or from behind, then we can let Reborn know and he can change our course." Skull explained, his eyes locked on the door to the pilots cabin. Mostly the group sat in silence as they waited tensely for something to happen. A long, grueling hour later Reborn took the plane into a slow circling motion.

"It seems we have found where our Sky is." Mammon informed those without headsets. Tsunayoshi and Xanxus immediately stood and went to join Reborn up front. Reborn, not finding any airstrips nearby, used the headset to talk to Mammon.

"Viper, please conjure an airstrip for us to land on just behind that nearby forest. Continue shielding the plane from sight, also." Reborn ordered tersely. Mammon considered fining Reborn, both for forgetting their name and their services. They stayed silent, however, when they remembered that this was for their Sky. They would wait to see what their Sky was like before they decided whether to charge for their services or not. Mammon allowed their flames to flow down to the ground, where the flames formed solid illusions of a very long runway. The flames then surrounded the field and hid it from everyone except those in the plane. As the plane landed, everyone grabbed whatever equipment they thought they might need. Only Reborn, with his shape-changing chameleon Leon, had no need to gather supplies. Once the plane was fully on the ground and settled into a 'sleep' mode, reborn quickly changed into infiltration gear that matched the other Ex-Arcobaleno. Even Verde had been convinced to don the gear. It probably would have been harder, had he not developed the Optical Camouflage Suits himself. Then Verde, who had been working hard the entire flight, handed out new Optical Camouflage Suits to the other members of the group coming with them. Half of the group would be guarding their plane and the path back to it. The other half, about 17 people, followed the Ex-Arcobaleno to a building on the other side of the forest.

They set a perimeter just inside the forest, hidden from view despite the outfits that let them remain invisible. Then Mammon used their flames to make "ghost" illusions of themselves that walked up to the building and right into it. About half an hour later Mammon cursed. The others all tensed and looked to where Mammon's voice came from.

"Hidden underground labs." Mammon snarled, and the others were shocked to hear the emotion in the Mist's voice. Beside Mammon, Tsunayoshi shuddered and thanked his lucky stars that he'd sent Chrome and Mukuro out on missions before this incident. "Third floor under has a tunnel that connects to the sewers. There are six floors underground, and four above." Mammon added, voice just barely out of the range of growling. "We'll have to go in to find out where our Sky actually is, but they're probably in the secret labs underground." Mammon declared.

"Agreed." Reborn confirmed "Might as well start with the tunnel entrance. If our Sky is higher than that, it will probably be easier to go up than to access the hidden labs from street level." At his words, Verde turned on the tracking system in the visors that let them all see eachother.

"Why didn't you turn that on earlier?" Skull complained to Verde, rubbing his shoulder where he'd run into just about everyone else. Verde, and pretty much everyone else, ignored Skull's complaint.

"It would be better to send one team below and one above. There may be information we need up above, even if our Sky is not there." Mammon pointed out.

"Yes, but who wants to go up top when we know our Sky is probably down below?" Reborn retorted.

"Send in my reconnaissance and infiltration teams. They aren't looking for their Sky, and the trash won't miss something important." Xanxus offered gruffly. Fon didn't hesitate.

"Excellent, we'll leave above ground to those teams, then. We'll probably want more people below ground. Secret labs tend to be ridiculously well-guarded." Fon informed the others.

"Right. So everyone not in those teams will come with us, except for one of the information gathering teams. There might be information down below as well. Let's go." Reborn ordered. Reborn and Colonello took up positions at the front, followed by Xanxus and Tsunayoshi, and then all the others. Once they got to the sewer exit by a stream at the forests edge, the group split in two. The first group, lead by Lussuria, went in the front and back doors silently. The second, still lead by Reborn and Colonello, went through the sewer grate once Fon had dissolved the bars. Thankfully the pipes were more than tall enough for full-grown men to stand, and completely dried up. They probably could have opened the grate somehow instead of dissolving it, Reborn reflected, but that would have taken precious time to figure out. Their Sky had not contacted them a second time. All of the newly bonded Guardians felt that the precious seconds slipping by could be the Sky's last. They had to prevent that.

 _"We have to."_ Reborn thought, determination stronger than he'd ever felt flowing through him. His fellow guardians resolve matched his, and their flames flared around them and brightened the tunnel. Xanxus snorted disdainfully and the Ex-Arcobaleno sheepishly pulled in their flames so they couldn't give away their position. It was one thing to flare invisible flames, it was another thing entirely to allow your flames into the visible spectrum when sneaking into secret labs. Besides, they didn't know if they were facing other flame users or not. If there were other flame users inside, they didn't want to forewarn their adversaries.

After a good twelve minute walk, they came to a sealed cast-iron door. It looked like it only opened from the inside, so Fon once again stepped up and dissolved the door in front of them. He was careful to use the smallest amount of flames he could so that hopefully he would not be sensed. Mammon then used their own flames to construct a solid illusion of the door that used to be there. With one special enhancement: only Mammon and the people in their group could get through the door. As at the plane and the sewer grate, two of their party split off on either side of the doorway to secure their retreat. On the other side of the doorway was a small room that led to another door like the first.

 _"Probably a security zone, just in case."_ Colonello thought, noting the cameras above. Thankfully the Optical Camouflage Suits covered infrared and other signals and not just vision. They wouldn't have to worry about any kind of electronic sensor or recording device picking up on their presence. They continued through the next door same as the first. On the other side of the second door they came to a T-intersection with a hallway. With hand signals they made a quick plan. Reborn went to the left and Colonello went to the right. Skull and Mammon went with Colonello while Tsunayoshi, Xanxus, and Xanxus' guardians went with Reborn. The other members of the party split themselves into even out the rest of the numbers between the two parties. Reborn had taken all of fifteen steps before he turned back and rejoined with Colonello. They continued in silence, grateful they'd yet to run into any guards. They came to a corner, where the hallway turned to the left. They checked the door on the right and found medical supplies. With a grim sense of satisfaction, Mammon sent their flames into the room and sent all of the supplies to their office in the old Arcobaleno Mansion. While Mammon dealt with the supplies room, Colonello checked the door directly in front of them. He came back out and sent the information gathering teams into the room.

"Some sort of lab. No specimens, but lots of computers and equipment." Colonello reported to the others through the mic in his helmet. The rest of the group left a couple of guards to play lookout for those in the lab and then turned left down the hallway. Almost immediately they found a door on the left. The pulling feeling drew them to the door strongly, so Reborn and Colonello stood on either side of the doorway while Skull kicked the door in. No one seemed to be inside, and all of the fighters felt the hair stand up on the back of their neck.

"I could be wrong...but this seems to easy..." Skull muttered. Reborn nodded tersely, but declined to comment as he entered the room. All of his fellow new guardians: Skull, Fon, Colonello, and Viper followed him into the room along with Xanxus, Tsunayoshi, and Verde. For a moment the group stared at the girl floating in the green liquid. The new guardians felt their tempers soar through the roof, and even Mammon desired to put a fist or foot through the glass surrounding their Sky. It could be no one else, for their bond drew them towards her desperately. Verde sat himself at the computer next to the tube and quickly started typing.

"It would probably be a good idea for you to make an illusion of the room without us in it, but your Sky as she was when we entered." Verde suggested mildly as he typed. Mammon quickly did as he suggested. At length Verde hit enter. "There, you can let go of the illusions now, I've set up a loop on all cameras on this floor." Verde announced as he went through all the folders and files on the computer. He then pressed a button on his watch and held it facing the computer. A holographic picture of a file folder faded into sight between the computer and Verde's watch. The classic "file transfer" image began to play as he uploaded a copy of everything from the computer to his watch. Once that was finished, he opened a few programs and then chuckled a little bit.

"Let's dance, amateurs." Verde grinned as he placed a couple of devices on the mainframe of the computer. A soft chime sounded. "Alas, no worthy partners at this party. I have locked out other users. I am now beginning the disconnection and release sequence. Be ready in case they notice they cannot access the equipment. I looped the expected readings, so we shouldn't run into trouble. But there is a point zero-zero-zero-zero-six percent chance I have underestimated them." Verde stated as he hit the last enter. Slowly mechanical arms with pincers on the end came from the back of the tube and rose to hold up the girl under her shoulders. Another pincer, bigger than the others and sideways, came forward and wrapped around her waist. Then the green liquid began to drain from the bottom. The liquid vanished extremely quickly, and the girl was left suspended only by the metal holding her. Next the liquids in the clear tubes flowed backwards into the tanks they came from. The needles where withdrawn, and everyone except Verde felt sick when they saw the size and number of needles that had been clustered around the base of her neck and skull. Silently many of them wondered if the Sky would be paralyzed. All it would have taken was one needle inserted slightly wrong...her new guardians forced their minds to redirect to the problems at hand. They would deal with possible paralysis if it became an issue.

Slowly the glass tube slid down into the floor. Skull stepped forward before anyone else thought to move, and reached up slightly to gently untangle the sky from the mask over half her face. He then gently lifted her out of the metal grips holding her. It was as he shifted his new Sky to better cradle her in his arms that he noticed the one thing she was wearing.

"Verde, there's some sort of bracelet on her wrist. It seems to be emitting some sort of signal..." Skull observed.

"Yes, the signal is currently being blocked, but it would be best if Fon dissolved it. According to the notes, the bracelet is adamantium. We will be unable to remove or otherwise break it without storm flames." Verde replied absently, still working on transferring all files. Fon gently slid a hand under his Sky's wrist, the Optical suit retracting once more so he could use his bare hand to wield his destructive flames. The storm flames had just started eating at the bracelet when pale eyelids started to slide open. Glowing emerald-green eyes looked at Fon for a moment before the head turned slightly with a whimper so she could look at Skull.

"Who...?" She murmured, and her voice was hoarse. It hurt just listening to her voice, it sounded like her throat was probably really sore.

"Your guardians. We came in reply to your call. We're here to rescue you." Skull told her gravely as his visor slid back so she could at least see his face.

"Can we get her suited up, or does she require treatment?" Reborn asked Verde tersely.

"There's nothing we can do about those liquids here. We'll need to get her somewhere safe first." Verde replied dismissively. Colonello's molars ground together so hard they creaked as he held back the angry torrent he wanted to spew at the scientist. Instead he took out the spare suit he'd been carrying and slipped it on over his Sky's naked form. He felt his fury ratchet higher. How dare they leave his Sky bare for all the world to see! He could tell from the stilted movements of the usually smooth friends that he wasn't the only one furious at the state of their Sky. The girl didn't say anything to them while they got her in the suit, looking dazed and disoriented. As Colonello moved to close the visor, the girl looked up and met Skull's eyes once more. Her gaze sharpened intensely then.

"Save the others." She ordered, and Skull couldn't help but agree.

"I understand." He assured her. She smiled at him then, and he was certain he wasn't the only one whose breath caught at the beauty of that smile.

"Thank you." She murmured as her gaze went unfocused once more and then her eyelids slipped shut. Xanxus cursed from beside them as the girl went limp in Skulls arms once more. Colonello quickly snapped her visor shut.

"What now, trash?" Xanxus demanded.

"Now we make sure there aren't any other... " _Experiments"_ … here. If there are, we liberate them." Reborn replied steadily, stealing himself.

"Should get your Sky to safety first." Squalo objected. Reborn growled under his breath.

"I had planned on it, whelp. Mammon, Skull. Take our Sky back to the plane. Leave the rest of this place to us." Reborn ordered darkly.

"Right." Skull agreed, turning quickly and jogging from the room with Mammon on his heels. Verde finally finished his file transfer just as the information team finished sweeping the rest of the floor.

"No other prisoners on this level, Boss." Levi reported, having stayed with the information team for security. "Elevator and stairway down the hall and to the left." He added helpfully. Reborn amused himself by imagining a tail wagging behind the lightning before turning to stare grimly down the hallway. They were a long way from done. Just as grimly he marched forward, the others on his heels. Time to ransack and then it was time to _**burn**_.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a comment, let me know if you want more of this story. Also, I'm playing with the idea of making this a tri-crossover, because I just didn't like anyone from either world for Fem!Harry's Lightning Guardian this time (which is why they've yet to show up). Let me know what you think about that, please! I'm toying with the idea of Naruto, or possibly Wolverine. Or maybe both. ^_^ Or maybe a second sun guardian (Naruto), and Wolverine lightning guardian. So many wonderful possibilities...:)

Until next time:

Wingzrooke


	2. Chapter 2 - Rise and Burn

Hey all, I apologize for how late this second chapter is up. I really meant for it to be up much sooner, but ...well, life. Life pretty much hit me with a semi-truck. Long story short, thankfully I didn't end up requiring surgery but I was pretty much sleeping most of the day/night and have only just recovered. I had hoped to post this for Christmas, but I didn't finish it in time for that either. So, many apologies. Also, happy holidays to those celebrating holidays. :)

Quick note: There seemed to be a few of you who were confused by Verde not being a guardian. He never received the call, he was only present because Mammon and Reborn assumed that all of the ex-arcobaleno (except one of the rains) had a very good chance of also being guardians. So Mammon/Viper used his Mist flames to bring all ex-arcobaleno (except the sky and vindice) to their location to find out who else was a guardian. He then stuck around due to his curiosity. Verde is pretty much only in it for his own interests.

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR or the Harry Potter Series.

* * *

"I must stay conscious

Through the madness and chaos  
So I call on my angels  
They say

Oh, ye of so little faith  
Don't doubt it, don't doubt it  
Victory is in your veins  
You know it, you know it  
And you will not negotiate  
Just fight it, just fight it" _Rise_ \- Katy Perry

* * *

The hallways were silent as various members of the party stalked down them. Well, some of them stalked. Personally, Fon glided. He was just as furious as his fellow-guardians at the treatment of his new Sky. Fon had waited so _very_ long to find his home. At first he'd been rejected due to his furious temper. The rare Sky he'd come across too afraid he'd turn on them or someone they cared about in a fit of temper. He'd worked tirelessly to conquer his temper. When he'd finally learned how to box away his temper until he could release it safely, he'd joined the triads in hope of finding a Sky from his homeland. Then he'd found he was too strong for most Skies to pull in. For decades he'd spent serving the triads and seeking a Sky. When he'd almost given up hope, a man in a checkered mask had come with the offer to work with the strongest flame users in the world. Including a Sky. Agreeing to join the Arcobaleno was a snafu the likes of which still made Fon tremble in rage, despite his training. When the curse was finally ended, Fon found himself no closer to finding a Sky. He'd gone back to working full-time for the triads. Perhaps, he'd thought, he would never find his Sky. Fon had buried himself in his work, assassinating targets left and right. His apprentice, I-pin, never saw him anymore. Mostly he sent training to her through various videos and letters. Then came the Sky flames, seeming to come from nowhere but bonding him just the same. He had at first been so ecstatic, almost flame-drunk. Then the message popped into his mind.

 _ **"Help! Please help me!"**_ His new, unseen, Sky pleaded and Fon's legendary temper had exploded. He'd thoroughly vaporized the small town he'd been working in before Mammon's flames came and transported him to the others. At first he thought it was a fail-safe Mammon put in place for the Arcobaleno in case of emergencies. He'd been irritated but reigned in his flames and readied himself to pay the fee Mammon would require for both the transport and helping Fon find his new Sky. Then he'd heard that all of them except for Lal and Verde had also been bonded, and heard the call. A part of him had been soothed with the knowledge that some of his comrades would help him find their new Sky. They would be working together again, and he would not need to get used to new partners in order to be a good guardian. There was still the matter of who their Sky's lightning guardian was, but that was only one new person besides his Sky.

Now, they'd finally located their Sky, only to find that unspeakable things had been done to her. The only thing keeping Fon from vaporizing the building was his new Sky's first command. Save the other experiments. He looked forward to the instant all the prisoners were freed and the ex-arcobaleno were free to reign destruction down on this building. The longer it took, though, the more tempting it became to loose his flames on the entire town that surrounded the place where his Sky was tormented. _How dare they hurt_ _ **my Sky?!**_ _How dare they not help her?!_ His soul snarled from inside his mental shields. Flames leaked from his hands, accidentally vaporizing a nearby shelf as Fon glided into the first room he came to. Mammon had sent out more clones and assigned the second floor to Fon, with the first floor team trailing a safe distance behind him. Fon, who could on bad days be considered a heavy-hitting army or two all by himself, grimly took the second floor and its barracks apart one security guard and scientist at a time. Mostly the floor seemed to consist of sleeping quarters for the security guards. Apparently they remained on-site at all times. The hallways and rooms were all the same sterile white, and the furniture was all the simple steel-framed pieces. Some of the men were vaporized as they lay sleeping, and Fon regretted that they would feel nothing. But his Sky needed to get somewhere they could figure out if whatever was pumped into her would hurt her, so he had to hurry.

 _These fools should be grateful I don't have time to properly punish them._ Fon thought scornfully as he cornered a couple shrieking scientists and two guards in a break room. Too soon and not soon enough, Fon was finished clearing the second floor. The group assigned to the first floor, Xanxus and his information specialists, led the way up the staircase. Fon, arms folded into his sleeves once more, followed silently. He did not expect to find anything of interest on the first floor, but it was his next assignment.

* * *

Where Fon glided, Colonello marched. It was the only thing he could do. The sights around him, on the fourth floor, were horrifying. In order to continue working, Colonello defaulted to his military habits and compartmentalization. So far Colonello, Reborn, and Verde had found fifteen children and teens between the ages of eleven and seventeen. There was also a couple of adults. The prisoners were not crammed into tiny quarters like sardines, but they were kept in cells. There were somewhere between two to four people in each cell, on average. Verde had been assigned this floor with them in case there were anymore tubes with people in them, but so far Colonello was relieved to see there were no tank-tubes on this floor. That didn't mean that the prisoners hadn't been experimented on, though. Some of the prisoners had I.V. bags full of different fluids hooked to their arms. Some had breathing masks over their face which attached to nearby canisters. Many of the children were covered in scars. Most of the scars were neat and precise, obviously made by someone with medical training. Some were downright horrifying, though. A couple of children were missing eyes or fingers/toes. One of the children was missing his natural eye, one arm, and a leg. These had been replaced with metal cyborg-like parts. Colonello might have wondered why the boy didn't use these to escape, except the child was huddled shivering in one of the back corners of the cell. Clearly the poor boy had been broken before being given the strong metal limbs.

Colonello wished he could say this many children should be missed, to blame the government for no organized effort to find these poor souls. Unfortunately he knew all to well how easy it was for people to just disappear. He knew there were far more people willing to give or sell their own children than Colonello wanted to believe. He knew, from experience, that he would throw up many times once they were safely away from this place. He also knew from his military experience that the sights and sounds in this place would haunt his nightmares from now on. At length they finally came to the end of the cells. Reborn pressed a button on his wrist to connect the comm with mammon once more.

"We're going to need lots of people to help get the prisoners out. Make sure there are at least two storms. Also, we will need as many rains as possible." Reborn informed the mist user grimly.

"Understood." Mammon replied flatly. In a few minutes, a bunch of reinforcements from the plane arrived. The storms melted the locks off of the doors, and the rains sedated the children slowly as someone from each party explained that they were being rescued. Colonello watched this, almost numb as his own flames worked to keep Colonello functioning. Even his fury over the treatment of his Sky was being overwhelmed by the horror of what had happened to her and the others here. With the evacuation of the prisoners being overseen by the newly arrived, Colonello joined Reborn and Fon in continuing on. The cells lined the center and three of the hallways. At the end of the rectangle were four rooms. The outside two rooms seemed to be empty, but were obviously surgery or dissection suits. Reborn took the remaining room on the right, and Colonello took the room on the left. Verde stayed in the hallway and sent some of his little scurrying machines behind the other two. Colonello could see the backs of either doctors or scientists through the little glass window in the upper part of the door. Firmly Colonello slammed the door open and filled the room with his flames. All machines, except for Verde's, and people stopped working. He could see the remains of some poor soul exposed on the table. He wasn't certain what they were doing, since what had once been a person obviously hadn't been alive for a couple hours at least. Colonello retrieved a couple of rains from the hallway and had them take the downed scientists or doctors back to Mammon at the plane for interrogation. The new rains took over keeping the captured men sedated. Verde entered once the room was cleared, and joined his machines in accessing the computers and recording all data in the room. Colonello shuddered to think of what Verde would do with the information.

Colonello marched from the room and into the one Reborn was in. It appeared Reborn had decided to shoot the doctors or scientists with tranquilizing bullets. Twice. Apparently this batch of captives would be answering questions last. The bullets pierced both shoulders, and Colonello could see that Reborn had shot them in such a way that neither of the arms would be usable ever again. _"What a pity._ _ **Not.**_ _"_ Colonello thought vengefully. On the table in this room was a sedated young girl of about sixteen or seventeen. The girls' hair had been shorn off, probably a couple days ago as a thick prickly stubble of an inch or so stood straight up from her head. Her sleeping expression was set in a sort of frown, and a furrow marred her brow. Reborn allowed his flames to sink into the girl, and slowly she stirred. The moment the sedation was out of her system, the girl rolled off the table and put her back in a corner. Her eyes opened and then slowly cleared as they settled on Reborn and Colonello.

"We're here to save you, Miss." Reborn informed the girl gravely. The girl stared hard at Reborn, as though trying to appraise whether or not he told the truth.

"And the others?" the girl demanded, and Colonello was startled at her very prominent British accent.

"We're saving all the prisoners here that are save-able, Kora." Colonello promised gravely. The girl nodded once, sharply.

"There's another girl my age here, my friend Ri. You have to save her." the girl demanded. Reborn and Colonello exchanged looks grimly.

"We haven't come across another girl your age on this level..." Reborn advised. The girl tossed her head, as though she were used to shaking hair back and over her shoulders.

"I know. They separated her from us at the very beginning. I only know she's here because they picked me up afterwards and transported us in the same plane. They used video of her to try to get me to cooperate after they realized she's my friend. They probably did the same to her." The girl replied. "She's being kept sedated in some kind of glass tank shaped like a tube. Or, at least, she was last time I saw her." the girl added. Both men stilled.

"This girl, she wouldn't happen to be about five foot three, slender, emerald green eyes and long black hair? Pale skin?" Reborn inquired steadily.

"Yes. You found her. Is she okay?" the girl breathed, hope shining in her eyes.

"We're not certain if she is okay. She is alive, but we won't be able to figure out what they put into her system until we get away from here. Healers are working to make sure she is stabilized until the plane takes off. We are doing everything in our power to save her, Kora." Colonello promised.

"Thank you." the girl stepped away from the corner. "My name's Hermione Granger. How did you know we are here? Why are you rescuing us?" the girl asked as she tied the gown she was wearing shut.

"Your friend called to us, and drew us to her. She bound us to her. It is our duty to serve her, as our leader, and keep her safe. She ordered us to free all the other prisoners in this building." Reborn, the one most used to mincing words with civilians, explained while Colonello started gathering papers from around the room. Colonello kept a sharp ear turned to the conversation, but made every pretense of not listening. The girl frowned, seemingly displeased by this. Reborn continued on before the girl could form any incorrect ideas.

"Most of us would have shut down this place, if we'd known of it, without your friend's call." Reborn reassured the girl. Just then Verde entered, and Colonello handed off the paperwork and left Verde going through the various computers, tablets, and phones for more information.

"If you'll come with me, we have people who can guide you back to the plane safely as we continue evacuating." Colonello urged the girl. Hermione Granger willingly followed Colonello from the room, with Reborn right behind them. Reborn split away from the others once outside the room. He turned in the opposite direction and took the descending staircase at the end of the four rooms.

* * *

Reborn and the remainder of the last of the people from below ground met up with the others outside the pipe. They moved back to the treeline and found the teams from the above ground floors waiting there. After confirming that all evidence and information had been gathered, along with a few prisoners for interrogation, Reborn and his fellow-guardians walked up to the base of the building. Then they unleashed the full fury of their flames on the building. With three ex-arcobaleno going full-tilt, two thirds of the above ground building was demolished in seconds. Then Tsunayoshi and Xanxus joined them. The building was destroyed past the sixth and last underground floor in the next few seconds. Most of them turned away, but Fon turned to the parking structures and other nearby buildings. His flames surged out from him in a close equivalent to an explosion, except there was a large slice behind him where his flames did not touch. Everything in his flames path vaporized instantly, molecule by molecule. When there was a good twenty-five mile radius cleared around the building, not counting the forest or where the plane was, Fon removed his helmet and joined the others back at the plane. Everyone else had removed their helmet, so Reborn could see that no one looked at Fon. They were in fact making such a point of _not_ looking at Fon that it was conspicuous. Personally Reborn felt that they were being silly. As far as he was concerned, Fon could have wiped out the whole town and not consider it excessive.

As he looked around the area surrounding the plane, he found Miss Granger clutching her friends hand. Smoothly Reborn moved over to where his new Sky lay, joining Miss Granger, Lussuria, and Skull. Reborn noted someone had changed his Sky out of the invisible suit. He noted with approval that Mammon had made solid illusions of clothing around their Sky, so she would not be naked before all the people surrounding them. His Sky, Ri, had apparently not re-awoken, which worried Reborn and Skull, but apparently not Lussuria.

"It's to be expected. Her system is doing everything it can to burn off the sedative they put in her, but apparently she received another dose just before you got her out. There is at least five times the lethal dose of the sedative in her system, so she won't wake up for a good long while. It's a miracle she's even alive, quite frankly. I don't know how she was able to wake up long enough to even open her eyes, let alone talk to Skull. Her system burning off the sedative somehow is another miracle." Lussuria informed the others flatly. Reborn's hand twitched convulsively as he fought off the knee-jerk reaction to grab his gun. Leon rubbed his tiny scaly head against the underside of Reborn's jaw comfortingly. Out of the corner of his eye, Reborn noticed Miss Granger wince.

"Miss Granger...?" Reborn urged gently, resisting the need to _make_ the girl tell him everything he needed to know to help his Sky. Violence and force would get him nowhere with someone who'd just been freed from illegal experimentation and imprisonment. The others around them turned to look at the girl as well. The girl fidgeted for a moment, but caved under Lussuria's well-meaning :

"I need to know if there's anything I have to account for in her treatment." said in a decidedly neutral tone.

"The reason we're being experimented on? We're not supposed to tell anyone, there are laws against it...but you'll need to know to help her. Our physiology is slightly different from most humans.*¹ We have a gene that most people don't have, which gives us some unusual abilities and changes the way our bodies react to any outside stimuli. We process medicines, sedation, illness, and even food and drink differently than most people. Even those without the activated gene do not process things the same way. Sedation like what our captors used...doesn't usually work very well on us, if it works at all. Sirina is also particularly … stubborn? I'm not certain how to explain it. Perhaps it is because she is very strongly gifted, maybe her system is even more different from the average? Anyways, it isn't unheard of among our society, that is those like us who have the different gene, to burn off normal medication or not be affected by it at all." the girl explained haltingly. Reborn felt a sort of relief course through him, followed quickly by worry.

"So, if she were to catch something dangerous, our medicine would not work for her? What about vaccinations?" Lussuria, apparently on the same wave-length as Reborn, worried. Behind Ri, Skull was worryingly silent.

"Yes and no. We mostly can't catch illnesses or diseases that affect most people. For example, on the plus side there are no recorded cases of cancer, bubonic plague, Polio, or influenza. The other side of that coin, unfortunately, is that we have illnesses and diseases that affect us that no normal person can contract. We can also get the common cold, but we also have medicines that work for us that wouldn't work for any of you. It's knowing where to get the medication, or access our medical personnel that is the tricky part." Miss Granger informed them with a sigh.

"Are you able to contact them? Should we call one of your people's medical personnel to assist?" Lussuria suggested. Miss Granger hesitated, then shook her head.

"Not a good idea. I can probably locate some resources for you, but until we know how some of you are bound to Ri, it's best not to chance it. Like I said, there are laws. Ri would never forgive me if I let you get your memories removed before she could build a case to protect you. Especially if some of your are bonded to Sirina, as you said." the girl sighed and shot a fond but exasperated smile at her friend.

"How did you get captured and taken to the labs?" Mammon asked as he came up behind the others.

"It's a bit of a mystery we captives have been working on figuring out. We're not sure who set them onto us, but there are several ways we think they might have discovered us. It had to be someone already in the know. Those like us go away to school to learn how to control our gifts once we reach a certain age. Once we start schooling, we pretty much drop off the map for at least three quarters of the year. Our schools are a bit of a secret, you see, so no electronics are allowed. Ever. We also don't give out schooling records, or anything. So, if you know what you're looking for, someone with access to doing background checks might be able to do a sort of...census, looking for children who go to schools that don't seem to exist. I know some of the others were sold to the scientists by their families, who think their family member is unnatural or dangerous. It seems these scientists found a sedative that works well enough that most of us can be knocked out for short periods of time, if they use massive doses. Some of the kids were awake when they were handed over, but most of us were drugged. I, personally, woke up in a plane with Ri and a couple of kids from America and France."

Reborn couldn't help snarling a bit under his breath. _"I swear, every time I turn around, the average population gets more stupid. Sheeple, the lot of them. Imagine selling your own child because they have a gift! Why, I don't even want to imagine what would have happened to Luce or Aria in one of those families. Or those labs, for that matter. I don't want to imagine what happened to my Sky, either. Burning the building to the ground wasn't enough. Collecting all the data and ending the scientists on-site isn't enough. We need to make sure whoever is in charge of this, and all info other people not part of this society have is wiped out."_ Reborn's inner voice snarled. Mammon nodded, as though Miss Granger's words fit with what he already knew. Mammon turned to Reborn and Skull, and seemed to sense their blood lust.

"I am done interrogating those we captured from the labs. You may dispose of them for us, if you like." Mammon offered magnanimously to the two silently fuming men. Reborn immediately stalked over to where their prisoners were being kept and began to efficiently silence the scientists and former security guards. Grimly he worked his way through them, trying to put the vision of his Sky floating in viscous green liquid and probably in pain, from his mind.

* * *

I hope you found this chapter worth the wait. I really tried to pick a name other than "Sirina" (because I used it in my other story) for my Fem!Harry, but I just love that name for her too much. Sooo...yes. Her name is Sirina. No Lightning yet, sorry. I have decided who I will be using, though. Yay!

For those who were wondering, the lack of back story is on purpose. It is going to be revealed as the guardians learn the backstory.

Until next time:

Wingzrooke


	3. Chapter 3: Nightingale

Happy new year to everyone following the same calendar as I! Also, happy days to everyone not following the same calendar. For our New Years celebration, we watched SING!. Am I the only one who watched that show, saw the mouse (esp. when he's singing), and thought: it's Reborn! Anyways, I hope this new chapter continues to make some of you happy. I am well aware some of you will hate who I chose for lightning...but it had to be him. I'd say sorry, except I'm really not.

Disclaimer: I own only the plot and any original concepts/characters. I do not own the original stories this story is based on.

* * *

Ch 3: Nightingale

* * *

"I never see the forest for the trees  
I could really use your melody  
Baby I'm a little blind  
I think it's time for you to find me

Can you be my nightingale?  
Sing to me  
I know you're there  
You could be my sanity  
Bring me peace  
Sing me to sleep  
Say you'll be my nightingale

Somebody speak to me  
'Cause I'm feeling like h**  
Need you to answer me  
I'm overwhelmed  
I need a voice to echo  
I need a light to take me home  
I need a star to follow" _Nightingale_ Demi Lovato

"Sir!" A male voice came from a speaker sitting on a wooden desk in a dark room. A figure sitting in a large leather chair behind the desk raised one slender arm and pressed a button on the intercom with one long, slim finger.

"What is it?" the figure asked calmly in a male, musical voice. There was a long moment of silence as the person released the button and moved his arm back to draping over the armrest on his chair. Then, a moment of static before the speaker replied.

"Sir, facility zero has been completely annihilated by person or persons unknown. The recordings and all data on infiltration and consequent destruction is being brought to you by courier now." The first male reported, then hesitated once more. "Sir, not all bodies are accounted for. We suspect they took hostages. It is unknown why they took people, as no demands have been received. However, we suspect they will be interrogated. There is no sign we have a competitor as of yet, however." As the voice on the intercom spoke, the man in the chair leaned back and wove his fingers together, elbows still on the arm rest.

"Interesting. Most interesting." He murmured to himself, ignoring the rest of the other mans' rambling. He pressed the speaker button once more. "Thank you. I await the data eagerly. Good work. Hold off on the acquisition of more subjects for now." The man in the chair ordered as a nearby flickering fire threw shadows and light over him.

"Yes, sir." The man on the speaker replied.

"What will you next move be, my mysterious opponent? And who are you...?" The man in the chair wondered.

* * *

Mammon snarled to themselves as they allowed the limp figure in their hands to drop to the ground lifelessly. In a cage in the corner of the room, surrounded first by bars and just beyond that by swirling storm flames. From one corner of the room, Fon watched from behind half-lidded eyes as Mammon ripped through the minds of the prisoners in search of information. The "room" itself was very small, as they were currently in the Vongola plane. In order to spare the freed children from having to watch, Mammon had put up the illusion of a wall between the two sections of the plane. All the other guardians were up front in either the other half of the passenger section or the cockpit. When Mammon moved back a step, Fon stepped forward. One of the prisoners in the cage behind them whimpered. Neither Fon nor Mammon acknowledged the captives. Fon, flames of fury in his eyes, picked up the limp man from the floor and shoved him into a cell opposite the one the conscious unquestioned prisoners were in. While Fon shoved the unconscious man into a cell with two others, Mammon's indigo flames reached through the bars of the first cell and teleported another of the conscious prisoners into Mammon's hands. Mammon once more leaned forward slightly until his eyes met those of the frightened prisoner as a stench of urine filled his nose. His nose wrinkled slightly at the smell as his flames reached into the prisoner's mind. As Mammon ripped through this prisoner's mind, Fon carefully slipped some of his flames through the cell of the already-questioned prisoners. One of three had already started to wake up, and Fon enjoyed himself by starting to vaporize parts of the man slowly. He would have revenge for his Sky, and it wasn't going to be fast or pretty for the people he took out his anger on. Mammon actually finished questioning the last prisoner before Fon finished 'dealing' with the first prisoner he'd started on. Mammon left his compatriot behind to go see if their Sky was awake yet.

To Mammon's disappointment, Sirina still slept. He was grateful, however, that he came up to the group surrounding her in time to hear Miss Granger's explanations. Seeing the state both Reborn and Skull were in, Mammon let them know there were prisoners available for venting on. Reborn took up on the offer, but Skull remained holding their Sky's hand. Mammon turned to Skull as Tsunayoshi and Xanxus walked up. Mammon nodded a greeting to all three.

"The information I have gathered fits with what Miss Granger has informed me of. It seems, however, that there are more than just the magical mundane born or raised amongst the former captives. Thankfully there are none of our people with the captives, which explains how Sirina was able to get out her message to us. There would have been nothing to stop her flames from reaching out to us. Thankfully." Mammon informed those present. "Since Reborn and Fon have the disposal of the scientists and security personal well in hand, I will coordinate with Verde in accumulating all data from people and documents. In the meantime, we should depart from here immediately. It will not take long before searchers come this way. I could keep up the mist barriers, of course, but it would be best if we got Sirina somewhere Verde and Lussuria can figure out if there are any harmful substances in our Sky's body." Mammon declared. There was no trading of words, or looks. Everyone simply acknowledged the sense in what Mammon said. Skull lifted Sirina into the air, and the mist construct underneath faded away. He gently carried Sirina into the plane with Hermione Granger, Mammon, and the Vongola Tenth following. Outside, Xanxus barked orders at elements until all the supplies and equipment was cleaned up. Once everything was packed back up, everyone else got back on the plane.

Mammon manipulated his flames until instead of a half-dome connected to the ground, there was a full dome around just the plane itself. As the plane rumbled into the sky, all the new guardians plus Tsunayoshi and Xanxus crowded into the cockpit behind Reborn at the controls.

"Where are we headed, Kora? Mafia Island has the facilities, but news of our Sky would spread far to quickly. She should be conscious, at the very least, before the wider mafia finds out about her." Colonello pointed out.

"You're welcome to stay on Vongola lands while your Sky is healed. All of the children and adults liberated from the labs are welcome." Tsunayoshi offered seriously, a frown at the thought of what had been done to all those children marred his face. "We also have therapists who are used to helping out people that have been experimented on, due to Mukuro being my guardian. He will want to be in on tracking down whoever is responsible for the experimenting, anyways." Tsunayoshi added thoughtfully. Reborn tilted the plane slightly to circle around so they were facing the direction of the Vongola Mansion. None of the other guardians objected, so the plane continued on in that direction. They all watched the setting sun as they flew into the sunset.

* * *

In the passenger seating, Hermione Granger worried her lip as she held Sirina's hands. It wasn't her first time holding an unconscious and injured Sirina's hand, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last. Still, she wished that her friend was not so much of a trouble-magnet. Hermione was grateful, though, that once again Sirina had saved her from a fate worse than death. Hermione, herself, had not been tested on much, since Sirina took so much of the scientists attention. She continued chewing on her lip, wondering how badly she would be punished for giving away details on the magical world.

 _"Well,"_ she thought bracingly _"it's also not the first time we've had to break the Wizarding World's laws, and probably won't be the last for that either."_

* * *

A darkness surrounded everything. There was no sound, and even the ground or sky could not be seen. The darkness seemed to swirl around, with only the slightest bit of light weaving through. Slowly pale eyelids covered in long dark lashes slid open. Emerald green eyes looked up blankly, and wondered where she was. The last thing she remembered was looking into purple eyes and begging for everyone to be saved. Had they not escaped? Did someone dump her into a sensory deprivation tank? Sirina sat up and then braced a hand against the darkness beneath her to help her stand. She mostly just wanted to see if she could stand, or if she was floating in water. It turned out she could stand, though she still couldn't see anything. At the thought of seeing, a blinding amber fire burst from her skin and surrounded Sirina. Normally this would have startled, or maybe even frightened Sirina. In this strange place, however, all Sirina felt was a sort of numb gratefulness at not being in the dark any longer. The swirling darkness now turned out to be some sort of fog surrounding her. She stepped forward, looking for anyone else or anything besides fog.

" _Hello?_ " She called out. Nobody answered her, but after a few minutes there came a bright green glow. The glow seemed to be really far away, and she could only see the tiniest prick of light. Since everything else was all one color, though, it really stood out. Sirina at first started walking towards the little light, but never seemed to get closer. She broke out into a run, a frantic feeling filling her chest. She willed herself to run ever faster, and kept getting faster each second. The mist seemed to stand still at one point, and then she was moving so fast that everything blurred around her. The amber flames around her left streaks behind her, looking more like trails of light than fire. Still she continued speeding up, going even faster than she knew should be possible. At last the tiny green light started to get closer to her. It felt like Sirina had run the distance of entire planets before she got close to the light. When Sirina was really close, she tried to stop, only to find she couldn't. A sort of invisible pressure had built up behind her, and she was catapulted into the static-like green light. For a moment all she could see was green light, and then she had a feeling like a nail going through a rubber band wall. With an almost audible 'POP!', Sirina fell through a wall and into a room that looked much like a sewer. Her arms pinwheeled as she fell through the air. With a shriek, Sirina fell face-first into a foot of murky water. She sat up and spat the icky water out of her mouth. The amber fire seemed to recede into Sirina, but she paid little attention to this as the room she was in now had light of its own.

" _Great. First nothing but fog, and now I've ended up in the sewers some how. Even for my luck...this is really pushing it."_ Sirina grumbled to herself.

" **Who dares intrude here?** " A voice like thunder rumbled warningly. Sirina looked up to find a huge red beast before her. The beast seemed to be made of a cross between fur and flames. Sirina stood carefully and combed her hair back from her face using her fingers.

" _Hello, I'm Sirina. I'm sorry for intruding, but I'm not quite sure how I got here. May I have your name?_ " Sirina asked, thinking privately that it was a good idea to be polite to anyone as large, fiery, and toothy as the creature before her.

" **Who am I?! Who am I?! I am the nine-tailed demon fox of legend! Mortals tremble before me, villages fall behind me, and...!"** the creature started to snarl, flames leaking off of it and licking the walls behind it and the bars in front of it. Sirina sort of tuned out the rest of the rant, recognizing a monologue when she heard one. After all, Voldemort had certainly treated her to enough of them.

 _ **"Are**_ **you** _ **listening to me, puny mortal?!"**_ the supposed 'demon fox of legend' demanded when it noticed Sirina inspecting the surroundings.

" _Not really. I was just trying to figure out where I am, and find a way out._ " Sirina hummed absently. She stepped up to one of the walls and poked it softly, wondering why there seemed to be no way in or out of the sewer room she found herself in. The wall rippled slightly, and then went back to it's original shape.

 **"Stop that! Are you trying to kill us all?!"** The demon fox demanded. Sirina waved off the fox's words and continued to probe at the flexible wall. **"I'd better summon the idiot snack...that idiot girl is likely to kill us all."** The fox muttered to itself, irritated. Suddenly Sirina felt another presence behind her. She whirled around as she heard a boy say:

 _"Hey Fox, what gives?! I was in the middle of_ _Ramen_ _!"_ The boy growled. Sirina ran her eyes over the figure before her thoughtfully. She was excited to note that she'd finally found someone with messier hair than her own. He had blond hair that seemed to defy gravity, and seemed to be just as skinny as Sirina herself.

 _"Probably an eating disorder or starved as child."_ Sirina thought. Or at least, she thought that she had thought it. She must have spoken aloud, though, because the boy whirled around as the fox answered the boy's question.

 **"You seem to have an uninvited guest. And she keeps poking at the walls. I am not certain how, but she seems to be making them flex. We were in danger of this place collapsing and killing all three of us."** the fox snarled.

 _"Who're you? What are you doing in my head?!"_ the boy demanded as he took a step towards her. And then... _"and I don't have an eating disorder!"_ he added angrily. _"Not my fault I've never had enough to eat. Not that it's any of your business."_ He snapped. Sirina raised her hands in the universal peace/ I am unarmed gesture.

 _"My name's Sirina Potter-Black. I don't know how I got here, actually. I was just trying to find a way out."_ She explained softly. The boy relaxed at her words.

 _"So you aren't here to steal old fox-face back there?"_ he asked. Sirina shook her head.

 _"No. I was lost in the mist, and I ran to the only thing I could see, a green light. When I got to it, I was pushed through and found myself here. May I have your name?"_ She replied. The boy took a proud stance.

 _"My name's Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm going to be Hokage! Believe it!"_ the boy announced loudly as he thrust his pointer finger towards her.

 _"Okay."_ Sirina agreed. _"But what's a Hokage?"_ She wondered sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head softly. This seemed to take the wind from the boy, Naruto's, sails. He relaxed slightly.

 _"A Hokage is the leader of a village like mine. A ninja village, that is. Don't you know anything about Ninja villages?"_ He asked, as though the very thought was mystifying. Sirina shook her head.

 _"No, there's no more ninjas where I come from. There used to be, like, a thousand years ago or something. But not anymore. At least, not that I know of."_ She replied. Sirina flicked her right hand out in two quick circles and a cushy arm chair appeared next to both of them. _"Can we sit while we talk? I feel strangely tired."_ she offered, taking her own chair.

 _"Whoa! How did you do that?!"_ Naruto demanded, poking his own chair suspiciously.

 _"Family Gift. Magic."_ Sirina replied shortly. Eventually, after thoroughly inspecting the chair, Naruto sat in it.

" _I've never heard of accidentally ending up in someone else's mind before. I'm not quite sure how I did it...the last thing I remember was looking into someone's eyes and being told I'd been rescued from the labs..."_ Sirina thought. For the next couple minutes Sirina and Naruto went over everything they could think of that might have caused the problem. Eventually, though neither would be able to remember quite how, they started to talk about their lives. To the surprise of both of them, they found that their lives were quite similar, despite living in different societies. They were even beginning to suspect they were from different worlds. Both of them discussed being raised by people who hated them and would be glad to see them dead. They talked of how parents and others kept other kids away from them for a long time. They spoke of being kept in small, cramped, dirty spaces. They spoke of never having enough food, and what little food they did get usually being spoiled. Both of them shared about burdens beyond belief on their shoulders.

Naruto spoke about the nine-tailed fox, and how his entire village expected him to be a good little ninja and keep them all safe despite the fact that not one of them had ever lifted a hand to help him. In fact, most of his village still tried to hurt him or deprive him of things even now that he'd had his headband for a little while. For her part, Sirina shared about being nothing, then being "the girl-who-lived", and still being loved and hated by turns. She spoke of how she'd been able to trust almost no-one. Haltingly Sirina told Naruto about her best friends, how Hermione had always stood by her once they'd become friends but Ron still couldn't always be trusted. She loved both of them, but with Ron it was a kind of like hugging a cactus. Painful. In turn, Naruto shared about his "Hokage-jiji" who always tried to help him out but couldn't always help Naruto out due to politics. He told Sirina about his team, that he'd only been with for about a year. With exasperation, he told her about 'Sasuke-teme,' the last Uchiha that the village practically worshiped. The emo-boy who couldn't see past his family, and seemed almost incapable of admitting his teammates could have worth. It was with even more exasperation that he told her about Haruno, Sakura. Unlike the Uchiha boy, she didn't have much to recommend her as a ninja. Originally Naruto had declared his 'undying-love' for the girl. He'd done this as a sort of a cover, trying to prove he was just like every one else. That was before he'd found out about the fox, though. He'd stuck with the charade, though, thinking it might prove useful one day. Plus, he'd never really been interested in any of the girls in the village. Too often had Naruto liked a girl, only to have her treat him with scorn at best and far nastier behavior at worst.

 **"You know, I hate to be helpful, but it sounds like you two puny mortals are soulmates."** the fox grumbled from where he lay on the ground behind his bars.

" _Soul mates?"_ Naruto asked hesitantly. Sirina tilted her head to the side and thought about it.

 _"People whose souls are part of each other. They often have some parts of themselves in common. They're not always born on the same world or at the same time, so it is_ possible... _but I've never heard of soul mates being drawn into each others minds uncontrollably. Of course, that's not counting the Potter effect..._ "Sirina mused.

" _So how do we find out if we really are soul mates?And if we are...what do we do about this. I don't want you to go away, but I don't want you to be stuck in my head forever."_ Naruto wondered.

" _I'm not actually sure...I didn't think I'd ever be lucky enough to have a soul mate. Fate seems to hate me, after all. Plus, even if I did have a soul mate on the same world... finding your soul mate is_ super _rare. So I never bothered to learn the way to tell. "_ Sirina shrugged ruefully.

 **"Ignorant mortals. You owe me for this information. Simply touch your hands together and push your chakra together. If you are soul mates, you will be able to feel your bond."** the fox snarled at them both.

" _I don't have chakra...at least, I don't think I do...maybe my magic will work? It's mostly about will, so if I will it to tell me if we are soul mates when it touches your chakra...maybe that will work?"_ Sirina decided hesitantly. In reply, Naruto made his chakra flow into a sphere in his palm. Sirina copied him with her magic. To the surprise of both of them, the energy in their palms were suddenly surrounded by colorful fire. In Sirina's palms the amber flames reappeared and mixed with her magic. Naruto's chakra, though, was surrounded by what looked like sparking green fiery lightning. Before they could think about it too much, and hoping it was part of finding out about one's soul mate, they thrust their energies towards the other's energy. The fiery chakra swirled together with the fiery magic. They formed a sort of swirled bar between the two of them, and then fused together. Suddenly both could feel each other.

" _Whoa_." they both breathed in sync. Emerald green eyes met bright Aquamarine in wonder. " _We are soul mates."_ They added, stunned.

" _So...what do we do now?" Naruto wondered._

 _"I have no idea." Sirina admitted. "But I don't want you to be away from me."_ She added softly, shyly. Her cheeks pinked slightly at the admission. Naruto also blushed at her words.

 **"Save me from awkward, mushy mortal idiots."** The fox groaned in the background. Both of them ignored the grumpy fox demon in the background. Suddenly a touch of the foxes red, fiery flames slipped away from him, and he yelped in indignation, as they were pulled towards Sirina and Naruto's bond. The red flames swirled into their own flames and energy. The flames suddenly separated from the first bond to form a bond between the fox and Sirina directly. Both humans stared dumbly at the flames. **"Don't think that makes us soul mates, pathetic mortal. It's probably because my energies are tied to the idiot brats that they bonded to you, girl."** the fox snapped defensively, showing his huge teeth in a threat display.

 _"No, I can feel you're not my soul mate. We are bonded, though. We might have big problems if the three of us separate..."_ Sirina rushed to agree. She nibbled on her lower lip as she contemplated what courses of action they could take.

 **"Brat. Someone is shaking you outside, and they are warning that they'll take you to the hospital if you don't wake up and stop being on fire."** the fox warned, irritated.

" _I'll take care of it, BELIEVE IT!_ " Naruto declared, taking his 'dynamic pose' once more.

 _"I do. I believe in you, Naruto."_ Sirina whispered softly, cheeks pinking once more. Naruto dropped the stance and rubbed the back of his head.

 _"Thanks. No one's believed in me before."_ Naruto confessed, and then he vanished. Gone as quickly as he'd come. Sirina was left staring at the spot he'd been in blankly, still wondering what they were going to do.

* * *

Well, there's chapter three! I hope this chapter continued to satisfy. :) Before any one points it out, yes the conversation being in italics once we switch to Sirina's POV was on purpose. She's in first her mind and then Narutos. They're thinking, even if it seems like talking to them. Let me know if you have any other questions. :) Thanks.

I had someone tell me they found the bonded diagram really helpful in my other story, and request one for this story as well, so I have posted a new folder on my deviantart account (under the name wingzrooke), and made a board for it on pinterest: pinterest dot com (forward slash) pictoralinspire (forward slash) fanfiction-story-chemical-burns (forward slash). If you are interested, I will post all inspiration pieces, any diagrams, and any pictures I do in these two places. If any of you like to do fanart for this story, I would love that! Please let me know if you do! Thanks.

 **Q &A:**

Well, I got some questions that others might want the answers too. So I will post the basic answers at the end of each chapter (if there are any reviews with questions that I think others will want the answers too). This way if not everyone wants to read them, they can just skip the notes. :)

First question: What does Sirina mean, and how is the name pronounced? Answer: I'm guessing this is in reply to my comment at the end of the last story about wanting to reuse the name Sirina from my other KHR/HP crossover story. In my two stories, the fem!Harry was named after Sirius (in these two stories because James Potter lost a bet with Sirius at some point before Sirina was named), and ended up having to name his firstborn child after Sirius, as well as making him godfather. So, Sirina was named after Sirius (and in a roundabout way named after the dog star). It is also a Greek name, and is for one named after the Sirens. It is pronounced "Suh-ree-nuh". :)

Second question: who flipped? Was it Dudley, an angry squib, some random muggle? Answer: I think the reader who asked this meant who sold the muggleborn/raised children to be experimented on. The answer to that question is pretty much: Yes (or, all of the above). It wasn't just one person who sold the children. If the you meant: who runs the organization? Then the answer is: you'll have to wait and see. Sorry.

3rd: What year are they in? Also, what about Voldemort & Co.? Answer: this story takes place post both original stories (KHR & HP).

4th: what's going to happen to the other experiments (besides Sirina/Ri)? Answer: hopefully this chapter already answered that question.


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